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2E0EDX Blog

The Australian Communications and Media Authority allows radio amateurs to substitute their normal VK callsign prefix with the letters AX every ANZAC Day April 25. To help commemorate ANZAC Day, the use of CW and AM is used to keep alive those modes used during World War 1 and 11, the Korean, Malaysian and even in early Vietnam conflicts

The now annual event involves ex-military sites and related museums. It was started by Mike "Banjo" Patterson VK4MIK and includes the AM Narly Net is on 3.600 MHz at 0630 local and then the same mode appears at 7.115 MHz at 4pm local.

Hopefully, I will be arranging a sked with Paul VK5PAS (realHFmobile Group member) on Friday, 25th April 2014, when Paul will be qrv as AX5PAS for the event. I'm led to believe that Qsl Cards will be available after the event via M0OXO OQRS

I have recently been informed through the real HF mobile Group that Dave G4AKC has just been diagnosed with stomach cancer. Dave
thought he had some kind of stomach virus however after seeing a
specialist he got the terrible news. Dave will be going in for an operation followed by radio and chemo therapy in the next few weeks and fingers crossed
this will address the illness.

I'm sure many of you either know Dave personally or indeed have worked him while he was /Pedestrian Mobile or /Bicycle Mobile from Blackpool Promenade. I'm sure that all visiting this website will wish Dave a very speedy recovery and will be thinking of him at this time.

I for one look forward to working 20M LP in company with Dave in the coming months ahead.

Although I prefer paper QSL cards and collect cards from both Australia & Africa I do have to conceed that the price of postage today hampers the sending of such.

Therefore, I now subscribe to EQSL for those wishing to use this method in exchanging QSL cards.

eQSL.cc is the first and only global electronic QSL card exchange for amateur radio operators and SWLs.
It is designed to be the fastest, easiest, and cheapest way to exchange QSO confirmations, eliminating the cost and time
that regular QSL cards have required for the past half century. With a larger membership than the entire ARRL, eQSL.cc is
THE place where everyone exchanges QSLs quickly and easily.

Please check-out the Photos link at the top of the page to see my latest DX EQSL cards received and uploaded to 2E0EDX/M or 2E0EDX/PM EQSL Cards.

Having recently carried out a number of CASHOTA activations at numerous castles etc in the north of England, I found while activating on 20/40M SSB that conditions on both bands were perhaps not the best and difficult to get the ten contacts required to qualify the location.

However, I did find the Worked All Britain (WAB) net on 7.160 and therefore by offering up my WAB square for the location worked, I could with the assistance of the net members get the required contacts, this was also the case in May this year while operating from Scotland.

Therefore, I decided to join the WAB group and sent off the relevant monies for the WAB Book Package have received from Graham G4JZF, the WAB Membership Secretary the Book Number 20141 of which I'm hoping will arrive in todays post.

Poor weather had me wondering what to do with myself on Thursday afternoon until I received a welcome text from JohN M0JFE inviting me to join the Fleetwood Radio Enthusiasts Group net on 2M FM at 145.225 MHz at 1400 hrs (L).

Now to be honest 2M FM or any other mode/band just has not happened from my shack for a long time and I was very glad of the opportunity to blow the cobwebs off the equipment. So heating on, brew in hand, the time duly arrived and I switched on the FT-8900 Quad band to hear John opening the net and being answered. I gave a shout but was not heard...............mmmmmmmmmmmm! I had only put the wrong antenna coax on the radio after my last CASHOTA activation on the 4th November.... Had it been that long?

Anyway. Finally made contact with the group working John JFE, Rob 2E0FFS, Mick 2E0XHG, Derek 2E0COZ/M, Kevin M6VGU, Paul M6EWL and Dougie M3RTX enjoying approximately two and a half hours of blether!

I think during my blether I offered my services to anyone in the group interested in portable activity to include WOTA/SOTA/CASHOTA or HF /Pedestrian Mobile.

At the end on giving my finals my voice went, so dry and certainly needed refreshment of one kind or another. Well it is the festive season so I will let the reader endeavour to guess the tipple!

Was very pleased on arriving home from work today to receive a QSL card from Chris VK3BUZ who I worked while I was /Pedestrian Mobile on the 26th October 2012 at 0835 hrs on 14MHz SSB. Chris lives in Victoria, Australia and was nice to receive a signal report of 55 while /PM.

A very nice card depicting a PA 31 Navajo which Chris flies on behalf of skydivers. A very nice card Chris that has now been added to my 'Down Under' collection, many thanks mate.

Got up yesterday morning to find a QSL card from Roger VK2RO, "THE KOOKABURRA KID" after our recent 20M QSO while I was /Pedestrian Mobile. I absolutely love the photograph on Roger's card, an absolute stunner!

"A VERSION OF THE KOOKABURRA SONG"

Kookaburra sits in an old gum tree Merry,merry king of the bush is he. Laugh Kookaburra, Laugh Kookaburra Great your life must be.

Kookaburra sits in an oldgum tree. Eating all the gumdrops he can see. Stop Kookaburra, Stop Kookaburra Save some there for me!

Kookaburra sits in an old gum tree, Counting all the monkeys he can see. Stop Kookaburra, stop Kookaburra, That's not a monkey, that's me!

Kookaburra sits on a rusty nail Gets a boo-boo in his tail Cry, Kookaburra! Cry, Kookaburra! Oh how life can be!

Kookaburra sits on the electric wire, Jumping up and down with his pants on fire, Ouch, Kookaburra, ouch, Kookaburra, Hot your tail must be.

Got up this morning to find a QSL card from Paul VK5PAS in Mount Barker after our contact on the 27th July 2012. Worked Paul on 20M and received a 53 report and giving him a 56. This was only my third contact ever into Australia and while /Pedestrian Mobile. I absolutely love the photograph on Pauls card, an absolute stunner!

Also received from Paul a QSL card when I further worked him as VI5CW on the 19th August this year while on Kangaroo Island, from the Cape Willoughby Lighthouse. Contact was on 20M and Paul gave me a 55 report and he received a 58 from me.

VI5CW

The photo above shows the road down to Cape Willoughby Lighthouse and Paul was in company with Mark VK5VW, Sasi VK5SN, David VK5KC, Hans VK5YX and Lesley VK5LOL of whom I still have to work and hopefully it will not be long until I get the chance to do so.

I will now be pestering Paul for a 20M schedule as both the New Year period and as January 26th draws closer to acquire his Celebrate Australia QSL Card :

I have a 2011 bottle of white Cimarosa Chardonnay from the vineyards of South Eastern Australia which I will open on the day as part of the celebration.

Information recieved via a colleague is that the Post Office are about to start the next stage of the withdrawal of International Reply Coupons from the UK very soon.

"QSL Via 2E0EDX" will now be phasing out the use of IRC's for exchanging QSL cards. This is completely out of my control so I am sorry that as from the end of 2012 NO IRC's will be accepted. I do not have a date that the Post Office will stop accepting IRC's it is likely that the service will just be withdrawn without notice. QSL exchange after this time will be 2 US$ by post or €2 ONLY as per information on the front page of this website.

Suggestions are that maybe they should wait until the current run of IRC's (valid until 31/12/2013) expire but no clarification on that yet. Any updates will be posted here.

Received a very nice QSL card from Graeme VK4CAG of Bellmere, Queensland confirming our QSO on the 1st September this year on 14MHz with a nice Q5 S5 received from Graeme. I think Graeme perhaps got his power wrong on the front of the card as I think the power output would have been more like 100W. I gave Graeme a Q5 S9+ report.

My QSL card is on its way to Graeme and I look forward to many more contacts with him.

Tomorrow evening at 1930 hours, Wednesday, 12tH September 2012, Dave G4AKC & Keith G7LPW will be giving a presentation to the South Lancashire Amateur Radio Club on both HF Bicycle & Pedestrian Mobile activations, equipment used and the activities of the RealHFMobile group. The presentation will take place at the Bickershaw Labour Club, Bickershaw Lane, Bickershaw, Wigan, WN2 5TE.

Both Brian M0OYG and myself will be travelling down from Blackpool with Dave to assist as necessary and Keith will be joining us at the venue.

If any member of the RealHFMobile group is available to attend tomorrow evening, then we look forward to the opportunity to meet you and put a face to a name/call.

As far as I'm aware this mornings 20m HF activation while /Pedestrian Mobile from 'The Tower' saw my callsign 2E0EDX/PM on the 20M section of DXWATCH.COM and I believe this was placed on by Gerald VK2HBGat the request of Dave G4AKC/PM. Thanks to both stations.

At 0737 hours local I worked VK4IBC Gary in Hervey Bay, Queensland, with a report of 58 59+ of which I was more than pleased with, however, I then asked Gary to standby while I went to the lowest setting on the Yaesu FT-857 of 5W output and again worked Gary this time receiving a 52. Dave G4AKC i/c with the group operating from 'The Tram Shed' informed Gary that he was going down to 1W and was given a report of Q5 by Gary. Truly QRP to Aus working the Long Path at 15467.1 miles (24891.9 km)!

This morning worked my first Senegal station being Dominic 6W/M1KTA with reports of 56 59. Dominic is working from the Senegal location between the 15th-22nd August and then moves to the Gambia working as C5/M1KTA until the 29th August.

I would like to work Dominic if possible on 14MHz in the Gambia as back in the 80's when I was a serving soldier I went on excercise with my Regiment to this country and stayed up-country from the capital Banjul as it was then. An excellent time was had on the Gambian River as we visited village to village and I have some excellent photos of my time spent there.

Hopefully I will be out over the next week to attempt to work Dominic so watch this space.